CEDAR FALLS - A small group of Hansen Elementary students proved Tuesday that Character Counts is more than just an educational program in their lives.

The seven fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade students were among the few remaining on the bus when it rumbled into the 2700 block of Minnetonka Drive. Sixth-grader Andrea Leisinger said the bus was making its second pass of the home at 2718 Minnetonka Drive when the students noticed an older woman lying in the icy driveway.

"The sixth-graders on the bus ran out and asked her what happened. She said she fell on the ice when she was going to get her mail," Andrea said. "She had tried to crawl back to her house and get help but she couldn't."

Sixth-grader Sidney Damm took the woman's dog into the home and dialed 911.

"I told them she had slipped on the ice and they told me to get her pillows and blankets and not let her move," Sidney said of her phone call.

Kristopher Scott, a fifth-grader, said the woman told them she had only been outside for a few minutes.

Kristopher's mother, Shana Scott, said the experience can serve as a learning experience for everyone the community.

"I thought what they did was amazing, but for me it is an awareness thing. People need to look around and see that there are elderly all around us that can use our help," Shana Scott said. "Sometimes we get so busy with our own lives that we forget they need extra help."

Contact Emily Christensen at (319) 291-1570 or emily.christensen@wcfcourier.com.